Egypt has seen momentous changes in the past 30 days. Even before the crisis erupted, cotton prices had risen 10% - 15%. Will these changes affect your ability to get the finest linens in the world? Continue reading ‘Egypt, Cotton And Scheuer Linens—What Happens Next?’
Tag Archive for 'About Luxury Linens'
Ever wonder what a linen retailer puts on their New Year’s resolution lists? Here are my top five resolutions for 2011 here at Scheuer Linens: Continue reading ‘Five Resolutions for Mark Scheuer, Retail Store Owner of Scheuer Linens’
This is the best time of the year for bargain shopping in our store. We just put up our clearance tables and they are stacked with sheets, towels, down blankets, and bed skirts from Anali, Matouk, and Yves Delorme, all at 50% off regular retail prices. Continue reading ’50% Clearance - In Store Only’
Now that Thanksgiving, my very favorite holiday, is over, we are really focusing on Christmas. Of course, we began planning for Christmas last summer!
Every year we find a new bedding pattern that lends itself to a special theme for our Christmas window. Last year, it was a red and white Provencal pattern and our window looked like a French country home. The year before, we featured the Yves Delorme “Hera” peacock feather pattern for an eclectic Bohemian Rhapsody theme.
This year we didn’t see any new patterns that sparked a creative vision, but the idea of a classic “White Christmas” kept coming up. After all, no matter what colors or patterns we show, white and ivory are always the best sellers. Continue reading ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’
The thing about table linens is that they are meant to be used and when they are in use, they come into contact with all kinds of lovely gooey things and things that leave stains.
I know a hostess who will only allow white wine to be served at her parties, in the hopes of avoiding red stains on her table linens and white carpets. Continue reading ‘Out Damned Spot!! Part Two’
The holiday season is fast approaching and with it the season of last minute tablecloth crises. Between now and December 25, our store will get calls and visits from a steady stream of people who have a problem because: Continue reading ‘Out Damned Spot!!’
The first-ever ELLE DECOR Showhouse—a spectacularly renovated 4,500-square-foot home in the historic St. Francis neighborhood, created in partnership with the Junior League of San Francisco, opened last weekend and runs through November 21. Tickets are available at www.jlsf.org.
Scheuer Linens was thrilled to do the bed linens for the guest bedroom for Tucker and Marks, a San Francisco–based interior design firm founded by Suzanne Tucker and Timothy F. Marks in 1986. The Renaissance embroidery pattern was done in green and yellow on ivory percale by Hamburg House. Matouk’s Dakota diamond pique scalloped coverlet in ecru was selected for the top of the bed.
Suzanne’s first book, Rooms to Remember: The Classic Interiors of Suzanne Tucker, was published in 2009, and in January, she launched her textile line, Suzanne Tucker Home, in Paris. Her work has been featured in ELLE DECOR, House Beautiful, Town & Country, and numerous books. She has been featured in Architectural Digest’s “AD 100.”
Many of our customers report feeling confused about products that are “green” or organic. We like to make sure that if a manufacturer says that their product is organic that it really is. There are many variables that determine whether or not a product is organic, so we depend on certification from internationally recognized organizations when we buy organic products. Here are three that we rely on.
GOTS Certified Organics.
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a standard used around the world that guarantees the organic products you bring into your home are healthy and safe for you and the environment – and provide a fair and just working environment for those who manufacture them.
The aim of GOTS is to be a credible resource for consumers looking for textiles that produced in an environmentally and socially responsible method. Not only are these fabrics free of harmful chemicals, the results of the production pose no threat to the environment or the communities in which they are produced. This universal standard assures that no harmful or toxic chemicals are used from harvest to manufacture, including the dyeing, washing, and finishing processes. The standard even examines the disposal of waste and wastewater treatment. Strict guidelines have to met in working conditions as well; companies must provide a safe a hygienic environment, with livable wages, appropriate working hours, and absolutely no child labor. www.global-standard.org.
Oeko-Tex Standard
The Oeko-Tex Standard 100, developed by a group of European textile institutes, is a global testing and accreditation program for the screening of harmful substances in consumer textiles. Products with the Okeo-Tex label are tested and guaranteed to be free of all harmful substances, including toxins and irritants.
What’s the difference between the Oeko-Tex certification and the GOTS certification? Both certify textiles to be free of all harmful chemicals, but GOTS takes it a step further and certifies that no harmful chemicals were used from harvest through manufacture, waste is disposed of responsibly, and fair labor practices are enforced. www/oeko-tex.com.
SKAL
Control Union World Group, formerly called SKAL, surveys the organic production by means of inspection and certification. Inspections consist of visits to farms, processing and importing units, but also examination of soil, crop or tissue samples and administrative assessments. Their certification process includes the entire process of growing the cotton, spinning the fibers, and storing the yarns at the production site. Certification is issued periodically, once the manufacturing site has been checked and process is established. These controls and checks are ongoing. www.controlunion.com.
Products that are called “natural” don’t have to go though a verification process to use the term. Typically, organic sheets are more expensive than comparable products that are not organic, almost twice as much in some cases.
As a consumer, what do you think, is buying organic bedding worth the extra cost?
We’ve revamped our web site to enhance our customers’ online experience. We’ve always been committed to providing an outstanding customer service as customers shop for the finest linens from around the world. Now we have enhanced our customers’ online shopping experience to make it even easier for them to find what they want.
We now have four times as many products on our web site, www.scheuerlinens.com, and offer free shipping on orders over $100. Our web site enhancements include improved product order screens, a user-friendly search function, and suggested items for cross-merchandising on many product pages, as well as improved product information on fabrics and fabric care for on each product. Free swatches are always available for any of our bedding products.
Since our inception in 1935, we have been committed to carrying the finest and most luxurious linens from around the world. In 1953, we opened our first stand-alone store in San Francisco and moved to our current location near Union Square 16 years ago.
Customers can still call the store on our toll free number,
800-762-3950, for information or to receive expert advice from our experienced staff in creating unique, fashionable ensembles for any décor or style.
A monogram is usually made by combining the initials of an individual or a company and is used as a recognizable symbol or logo. Historically, a monogram was used as a royal signature. Romans and Greeks used them on coins to identify their rulers. Then, in the Middle Ages, artisans began to use them to sign their work. Victorian-period high-class persons adapted the monogram for personal use as a symbol of their place in society. The most common use of monograms in our linen store, Scheuer Linens, is on towels, bedding, and napkins.
In the Victorian era, rules for monograms were quite simple and few. Female monograms had the first initial on the left, middle initial on the right, and the last initial embroidered larger in the middle. A married monogram would use her first name initial on the left, maiden initial on the right, and new last initial larger in the center. However, many modern couples use monograms with the bride’s first name on the left, the grooms first initial on the right, and joint last name initial larger in the center. Rules are now flexible and people can really do what they want.
Monogramming can also be used to add a touch of color to a set of towels or bed linens and typically match another color element in the room.
The monogram of the entire alphabet, shown at the top, is from the Dictionnaire du Chiffre-monogramme, published in 1881, is difficult to read and is typical of fancy monograms from the past. Other samples of older monogram styles are shown above with the initials S W, M S, and A V M. Monograms today tend to be much simpler, using either a simple block letter or a traditional script. The three most popular styles chosen by our customers are shown below.
